of north korea. one is the new regime of kim jong-un, was just one years old, needed to improve living conditions of the people. to that end, they wanted -- they may have wanted to have better relations with japan. that's one reason. the second reason for north korea diplomatically, the united states is a most important country. they would like to have relations, encounters with the united states. in order to pave the way to that end, they wanted to have good relations with japan as a precursor. >> what are the prospects for improvement in relations between pyongyang and tokyo? there are so many issues that need to be solved between the two countries. >> yes, there are so many. among them, most did i feel, important ones, there are three. one is abduction issues. number two -- not in the order of the priority, two is missile testing and nuclear problems. the third one, economic cooperation. those are three difficult issues or barriers. it's not so easy to solve those issues at once. perhaps it need time and endurance, efforts, special efforts, on both sides. out of them, perhaps most t
